Department for Transport

Bus Services: Concessions

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has undertaken on the effect of recent reductions to funding for concessionary bus passes on adults with (a) learning difficulties and (b) autism.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Funding to local authorities for concessionary travel is not provided in isolation, but as part of their Local Government Finance Settlement. This Formula Grant funding is not ring-fenced, which enables authorities to make spending decisions that more closely match local needs and circumstances. Eligibility for the statutory concession on medical grounds is assessed by local authorities on a case by case basis, using the seven criteria set down in legislation and supported by the Department’s published guidance.Local authorities also have the powers to offer concessions over and above the statutory minimum, for instance by extending the concession to residents who may not qualify under the statutory criteria.

Driving under Influence

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2018 to Question 177313 on Driving under Influence, and with reference to the 2017 Institute of Alcohol Studies report Running on empty: Drink driving law enforcement in England which found that the number of breath tests performed reduced by one quarter between 2011 and 2015, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of rigorous enforcement and serious penalties for drink drivers.

Jesse Norman: The Government has already introduced further measures to tackle drink drivers. Since 2015, repeat drink drivers must medically prove they are not alcohol dependent before getting their licence back, and the right to blood testing was removed for drivers who narrowly fail breathalyser tests. A £350,000 competition announced in June to develop a new mobile breathalyser for the police has also been completed and winning entries are currently undergoing testing.

Roads: Horse Riding

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has made of the safety needs of horse riders for the Highway Code review.

Jesse Norman: The Government announced on 18 October 2018 that, as part of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) Safety Review, The Highway Code would be reviewed to help keep cyclists and pedestrians safe on the roads. The Government recognises that horse riders and carriage drivers are also vulnerable road users and that advice on, for example, overtaking or passing cyclists applies equally to them. The full scope of the review has yet to be determined but in accordance with normal practice it will be conducted in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including those representing equestrians.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to (a) assess and (b) mitigate the risks that scrubber technology and its waste pose to the UK's coastal areas and marine ecosystem.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government has not seen evidence that the use of scrubbing technology would have a significant effect on the marine environment. All scrubbers must comply with mandatory Guidelines, which were developed by the International Maritime Organization, before they are allowed to become operational. Any wash water discharges are controlled under these IMO Guidelines. We have asked for more evidence from ship owners and industry associations about the content of wash water, and there are a number of ongoing industry-led studies on the issue. At this stage, we are not aware of any significant issues which have been found, but we will seek further amendments to the IMO Guidelines if it becomes clear that additional controls are needed.

Highway Code

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of including horse riders and carriage drivers in the forthcoming review of the highway code.

Jesse Norman: The Government announced on 18 October 2018 that, as part of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) Safety Review, The Highway Code would be reviewed to help keep cyclists and pedestrians safe on the roads. The Government recognises that horse riders and carriage drivers are also vulnerable road users and that advice on, for example, overtaking or passing cyclists applies equally to them. The full scope of the review has yet to be determined but in accordance with normal practice it will be conducted in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including those representing equestrians.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations the Government has made to the International Maritime Organisation on impact assessments for the large-scale use of scrubbers on marine environments and ecosystems.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, played an active role in the development of the Guidelines for the use of scrubbing technology at both European and international level. Ships’ installed scrubbers must be approved in accordance with the Guidelines before operating in UK waters. Along with other European States, we recognise that more ship owners are installing these systems in order to comply with the 0.5% sulphur cap, and that large numbers of ships using scrubbers in enclosed waters might have an impact on local water quality. This is why we have asked for more evidence from ship owners and industry associations about the content of wash water, and there are a number of ongoing studies being undertaken by the industry on the issue. At this stage, we are not aware of any significant issues which have been found, but we will seek further amendments to the IMO Guidelines if it becomes clear that additional controls are needed.

Department for Transport: Energy

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the quantity was of (a) electricity and (b) natural gas used by (i) his Department, (ii) the Office of Rail and Road, (iii) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (iv) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, (v) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, (vi) the Vehicle Certification Agency, (vii) the British Transport Police Authority, (viii) Directly Operated Railways Limited, (ix) High Speed Two (HS2) Limited, (x) the Civil Aviation Authority, (xi) London and Continental Railways Limited, (xii) the Air accident Investigation Branch, (xiii) Highways England, (xiv) the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, (xv) Network Rail and (xvi) the Rail Accident Investigation Branch in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The information is provided in the table below. Table – quantity of electricity and natural gas used, 2015/16 – 2017/18 (some figures rounded)Body2015/162016/172017/18(KwH)ElectricityNatural GasElectricityNatural GasElectricityNatural GasDfT (Central Department)4,500,394725,6884,454,986830,5404,465,990786,896Office of Rail and Road (1)408,206Not available430,929Not available472,418Not availableDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency13,269,32433,469,65515,634,96123,556,85813,765,56326,434,399Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency9,565,6598,556,7487,804,1118,967,8717,769,2039,877,482Maritime and Coastguard Agency7,736,1992,226,3207,981,6962,045,0467,816,8192,375,556Vehicle Certification Agency345,85693,961248,558113,515196,866108,280British Transport Police Authority and British Transport Police (2)8,655,2411,018,6968,369,1351,538,2107,537,9461,471,062Directly Operated Railways Limited000000HS2 Ltd (3)2,304,866276,8412,680,857256,7872,458,898886,904Civil Aviation Authority2,956,2031,353,5092,898,6541,819,7842,719,2681,722,188London and Continental Railways Limited (4)Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot availableAir Accident Investigation Branch234,4300438,4370328,8290Highways England (5)176,087,8523,915,094177,864,0306,058,714206,546,5326,563,503Marine Accident Investigation Branch (6)Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNetwork Rail3,816,870,00067,740,0003,787,390,00073,720,0003,804,530,00070,620,000Rail Accident Investigation Branch87,816158,83390,081170,48691,628169,826Notes:(1) Only ORR’s Glasgow office uses natural gas. The landlord does not provide an individual usage figure as ORR is one of many tenants.(2) The figures include consumption by the British Transport Police Authority and the British Transport Police as separate figures are not readily available.(3) These figures include estimates where direct meter readings were not available(4) London and Continental Railway (LCR) occupies space at One Kemble Street under a Memorandum of Terms of Occupation (MOTO) from the Government Legal Department (GLD). As part of the MOTO arrangements GLD recovers a service charge from LCR. This includes electricity and gas, but the costs and quantum used are not identifiable on an individual basis.(5) Electricity figures include roads lighting and other infrastructure assets throughout the Strategic Road Network.(6) The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is located in Spring Place, Southampton. This building is owned by the Department for Transport and managed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Utility supplies to the building are not separated out by organisation. Approximately 20% of the energy consumption for Spring Place is attributable to MAIB. The figure shown for MCA (which includes other buildings) therefore includes a proportion that could be attributed to MAIB.

High Speed Two: Pay and Working Hours

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) annual salary and (b) number of hours worked each month for each member of the board of HS2 Ltd.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Non-Executive Directors are paid a fee rather than a salary and this information, together with the salaries of Executive Directors, is disclosed in the Annual Report and Accounts available at https://www.hs2.org.uk/documents/collections/hs2-ltd-corporate-reports/. Non-Executive Board members are required to work an average of two days per calendar month as per their Terms and Conditions of Appointment and receive a fee of £950 per day. Additional days worked are remunerated at the same daily rate upon presentation of days worked. Therefore we do not record hours. The Non-Executive Chairman receives an annual rate of £200,000 on the expectation of an average time commitment of 2.5 days per week.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nigeria: Demonstrations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Nigerian counterpart on reports of the use of live fire against peaceful Shia protestors in Abuja on 1 November 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: We are concerned by the deaths of up to 50 people in Abuja last week. We have been in contact with Chief of Staff Abba Kyari and Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama to express our concerns about the levels of violence and numbers of people killed. We welcome commitments by the Government of Nigeria to conduct a thorough investigation and to take appropriate action to hold accountable any member of the security forces held responsible for violations of Nigerian law. It is essential that security forces act in accordance with international law and work to protect civilians. We continue to follow events closely, and encourage all parties to work together to enable the people of Nigeria to exercise freedom of expression and religious belief safely, peacefully and in line with the rule of law.

Nigeria: Political Prisoners

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Nigerian counterpart on the detention without trial of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife.

Harriett Baldwin: We have raised concerns about Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife's detention with the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels. We have made representations to the Nigerian authorities for their immediate release and to obey the court order for their release. We continue to monitor their case and call for fair and equal administration of justice for all parties.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Somalia.

Harriett Baldwin: Security in Somalia has seen important progress in recent years, but the country remains very fragile. As a priority, the Federal Government of Somalia must maintain momentum in developing and implementing a plan for transitioning security responsibility from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to Somali-led forces. They must also deliver widespread, sustainable reform of the security sector, in line with the commitments made at the 2017 London Somalia Conference. Coordinated international support to these efforts is vital, and the UK is playing a leading role.

Tanzania: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ask the Chair of the Commonwealth Ministerial Advisory Group to initiate an inquiry into the recent conduct of the Government of Tanzania to assess its potential infringement of the Commonwealth's shared political values.

Harriett Baldwin: We are in close contact with the Commonwealth Secretariat and with other Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) members on a range of issues related to the observance of the Commonwealth's fundamental political values. The Commonwealth Secretariat and the Secretary General assess whether there has been a serious or persistent violation of the Commonwealth's political values, including by bringing matters to CMAG's attention. However, discussions between CMAG members are by convention not disclosed. Alongside international partners we will continue to raise our concerns at the deteriorating human rights situation with the Government of Tanzania.

Tanzania: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Tanzania on recent prosecutions of members of that country’s political opposition under the provisions of that country's penal code criminalising speech deemed insulting to the president.

Harriett Baldwin: When I met the Tanzanian Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs on 11 October we discussed democracy and political space in Tanzania. On 2 November, following the arrest and detention of an opposition MP, the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam raised the case with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging the Tanzanian authorities to follow due process. We have subsequently also raised the case with the Minister of Home Affairs. We will continue to raise publicly and privately our concerns with the Government of Tanzania on developments which threaten democratic values and the rights of all Tanzanians.

Tanzania: LGBT People

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his counterpart in Tanzania urging the Government of that country to prevent the proposed rounding up of LGBT people by the local authorities in Dar es Salaam.

Harriett Baldwin: I am concerned by reports of threats against the LGBT community in Tanzania. The British High Commission, alongside international partners, carried out a demarche on the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 2 November, urging the authorities to respect human rights and protect all citizens from discrimination. I welcome the Government of Tanzania's statement on 4 November making clear that such threats do not represent government policy, and that it will protect human rights as enshrined in the country's constitution. We must all reject language that invites violence against any group in society.

Cabinet Office

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2018 to Question 183994 on Electronic Government: Proof of Identity, for what reason that Answer did not provide an average cost per user to verify identity across those private sector identity providers.

Oliver Dowden: Our understanding is that this is a request to know the cost of creating digital identities that are used to verify an individual. Users do not pay to verify their identity. It is the private sector that creates digital identity accounts that are then consumed by government services. The costs incurred by these private sector companies, that vary depending on the type of digital identity being created, is information that is held by the relevant commercial organisations We hope that we have interpreted the Members question correctly. If the Member is asking how much the Government pays to the different private sector companies for the identities they create, this is commercially sensitive information and cannot be released. Any information that may lead to a breach of commercial sensitivity with our private sector suppliers would have a negative impact on the relationship between Government and its partners.

National Cyber Security Centre

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Question 61 of oral evidence given on 25 June 2018 to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy by Mr  Ciaran Martin, what the specific campaigns are that form the duties of communications specialists in the National Cyber Security Centre.

Mr David Lidington: The communications specialists in the National Cyber Security Centre take the expert technical advice from the organisation and turn it into clear, accessible and usable advice and guidance, setting out the simple steps that organisations and citizens can take to protect themselves. Between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018 95 blogs and 134 pieces of guidance were published. This work is carried out in partnership with government and the private sector and a dedicated NCSC engagement team to amplify reach.

Pay

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for theCabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people earning less than £8.21 per hour.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Air Force: Military Decorations

Layla Moran: To ask the Minister for theCabinet Office, whether the Advisory Military Sub-Committee of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals is considering the issue of a full medal for Bomber Command veterans; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: A Bomber Command Clasp was approved by Her Majesty the Queen following the Independent Military Medal Review (2012). The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals Committee (the “HD Committee”) is re-establishing the Advisory Military Sub-Committee, with an independent chair, to examine historic military medals claims. Any recommendation from that Sub-Committee will then go back to the HD Committee to advise Her Majesty the Queen. The Sub-Committee is expected to start work in 2019. The Sub-Committee has not been asked to re-consider the issue of a medal for Bomber Command; but it will be open to the Sub-Committee to review historic claims as it sees fit.

Vote Leave: Election Offences

Meg Hillier: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2018 to Question 183310 on Vote Leave: Election Offences, what steps he has taken as a result of the findings of the report of the Electoral Commission into the activities of Vote Leave.

Chloe Smith: The Government will consider the outcome of the Electoral Commission’s investigations, and related recommendations such as from the DCMS Select Committee and ICO reports, in the round.

Electoral Register: Young People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote voter registration in secondary schools.

Chloe Smith: As part of the Suffrage Centenary programme, the Government has been leading on a number of projects designed to promote democratic engagement and electoral registration in secondary schools. This includes the Parliamentarian Toolkit and Secondary Schools Resource.The Toolkit includes activities and worksheets that parliamentarians can use with pupils when visiting schools or engaging with young people at youth clubs or on social media. It has been designed to teach young people about their democratic rights today and the history of those who fought for these rights. Exercises will help generate discussion and encourage young people to think about the role of democracy in their lives.The Government has also commissioned the Historical Association to develop a Schools Resource which will be launched later this year. The Resource will use a historical knowledge base to improve pupils’ understanding of UK democracy, democratic institutions and of how they can participate in our democratic processes today. While the funding is England-only, Devolved Administrations are welcome to utilise the materials.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will publish the statutory orders for each of the electoral pilot schemes taking place at local government elections in 2019.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. Orders enabling the pilot scheme to require voters to present identification before voting ata polling station will be published on GOV.UK. The orders derive from the Representation of the People Act 2000, which makes provision for local authorities to submit proposals to pilot innovative electoral administration practices at localgovernment elections. The success of the voter ID pilots in May this year proves that voter ID is a reasonable andproportionate measure. On 3 November the Government announced that eleven localauthorities across England would be taking part in voter ID pilots for the 2019 local elections:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-round-of-voter-id-pilots-announced-for-2019 The pilots will give us a deeper understanding of how voter ID will work on a wider scale andwhat works best for voters.

Elections: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of campaign finance legislation in ensuring transparency in campaign donations to political parties and campaigns.

Chloe Smith: The rules about transparency of political donations are clearly set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Those rules are effective at root because they prevent non-UK nationals living abroad from making large donations to political parties here and provide for transparency by publishing donations and loans on the Electoral Commission website under Donations and Loans. The Government will continue to work with the Electoral Commission to ensure there is sufficient guidance on donations to political parties and campaigners.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to recommendations in the Electoral Commission's statutory evaluation of the 2018 voter ID pilot schemes, what work the Government is undertaking with returning officers, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and organisations that represent people with different needs to carry out robust equality impact assessments of the pilot schemes taking place in May 2019.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. The success of the voter ID pilots in May this year proves that voter ID is a reasonable and proportionate measure. On 3 November the Government announced that eleven local authorities across England would be taking part in voter ID pilots for the 2019 local elections. Equality impact assessments will be conducted in each of the pilot areas. We take seriously the importance of Public Sector Equality Duty compliance at an early stage in policy development and are engaging with the Equality and Human Rights Commission and a broad range of charities and civil society organisations to ensure that the overall policy reflects the needs of all voters in the UK. Local authorities will provide alternative methods of ID to individuals who do not have a specified form of ID, free of charge, ensuring that everyone who is registered has the opportunity to vote.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Electoral Commission's statutory evaluation of the 2018 voter ID pilot schemes, what steps his Department is taking to ensure pilot schemes taking place in May 2019 will include options for people who do not have a required form of identification.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. The success of the voter ID pilots in May this year proves that voter ID is a reasonable and proportionate measure. On 3 November the Government announced that eleven local authorities across England would be taking part in voter ID pilots for the 2019 local elections. We take seriously the importance of Public Sector Equality Duty compliance at an early stage in policy development. Pilots will test a range of photographic and non-photographic ID, including poll cards. The types of ID will not be limited to a passport, driving licence or travel pass. Local authorities will continue to provide alternative methods of ID free of charge, to individuals who do not have a specified form of ID, ensuring that everyone who is registered has the opportunity to vote.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Electoral Commission's statutory evaluation of the 2018 voter ID pilot schemes, what steps his Department is taking to identify alternative forms of identification for (a) people with protected characteristics and (b) others who find it difficult to  provide a passport, driving licence or travel pass.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. The success of the voter ID pilots in May this year proves that voter ID is a reasonable and proportionate measure. On 3 November the Government announced that eleven local authorities across England would be taking part in voter ID pilots for the 2019 local elections. We take seriously the importance of Public Sector Equality Duty compliance at an early stage in policy development. Pilots will test a range of photographic and non-photographic ID, including poll cards. The types of ID will not be limited to a passport, driving licence or travel pass. Local authorities will continue to provide alternative methods of ID free of charge, to individuals who do not have a specified form of ID, ensuring that everyone who is registered has the opportunity to vote.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference his Department's proposals on the reform of the annual canvass published in October 2018, whether his Department has carried out a risk assessment of the hybrid model for delivering the annual canvass; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure the right to vote is protected for (a) people with protected characteristics and (b) generally.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so. An integral part of this is having an electoral registration system that is efficient and meets the needs of the modern citizen. As part of our plans for reform of the annual canvass, the Government is currently consulting on a hybrid model based on the evidence from 23 canvass pilot projects. The consultation is being conducted jointly with the Scottish and Welsh Governments and will remain open until 30th November 2018. The pilots have provided us with a strong basis from which to evaluate and mitigate any risks. In developing the model, we have worked closely with stakeholders in the electoral community including the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and the Scottish Assessors Association. Throughout, we have considered how best to support citizens with protected characteristics to ensure our policy proposal for the reform of the annual canvass supports their participation in our country’s democratic events. We have engaged with organisations that represent their interests. This has included seeking the opinions of the Accessibility of Elections Working Group, whose membership includes leading charities, such as the Royal Mencap Society, RNIB and Scope. The proposals for the reform of the annual canvass were shared with this group on the 9th October. Our proposals for canvass reform do not affect the ability of individuals to register at any time during the year. The introduction of online registration has made it easier, simpler and faster to register to vote. This can be done online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote  in as little as 5 minutes.

National Cyber Security Centre: Labour Turnover

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the staff turnover rate at the National Cyber Security Centre has been in each of the last three years.

Mr David Lidington: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was established formally on 3 October 2016. At that time, the NCSC had a team of approximately 700 people. At the end of its second year, in October 2018, the NCSC had a team of approximately 850 people. For national security reasons we will not be providing further releases on staff numbers or turnover.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of automated medicine cabinets in reducing the number of deaths linked to medication errors in the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 October 2018 to Question 174059.

Prescriptions: ICT

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2018 to Question 177314 on Prescriptions: ICT, what recent steps he has taken to accelerate the roll-out of electronic prescribing medications systems.

Caroline Dinenage: As stated in the answer to Question 177314, work is already underway to accelerate the roll-out of electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems across the National Health Service in England. Capital funding of £75 million over three years has been allocated to support this roll-out, with £16 million available in 2018/19. Trusts were invited to submit bids to be included in wave 1 of the roll-out in July 2018, and the 13 successful applicants were informed at the beginning of October 2018. Further bids will be invited for wave 2 funding early next year for award in the subsequent financial year.

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost savings to the NHS of making automated medicines cabinets mandatory in every NHS trust.

Caroline Dinenage: No such cost analysis has been performed.

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of medication errors that result in serious harm to patients; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department works with NHS Improvement, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Public Health England, and the Medication Safety Officer Network to improve the safety of medicine use across the National Health Service in England. The Medication Safety Programme, covering the NHS in England, has been established to take up the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global challenge to reduce the incidence of severe and avoidable harm in relation to medication globally by 50% over five years. Progress to date includes the publication of the Short Life Working Group into Reducing Medication Harm and the publication of an evidence-based review on the Prevalence and Economic Burden of Medication Errors in the NHS in England, which has helped the programme to understand the scale of the issue and identify key areas for improvement.

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of how much medication errors have cost the NHS in each year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department commissioned a study by the Policy Research Unit in Economic Evaluation of Health and Care Interventions on the prevalence and economic burden on medication errors in the National Health Service in England. Prevalence and Economic Burden of Medication Errors in the NHS in England was published in February 2018. This study estimated a range of costs to the NHS depending on which costs are included in the analysis. The range is from a baseline of £98.5 million per annum. The highest cost scenario has estimated costs to the NHS of £1.6 billion.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on securing healthcare agreements with the EU similar to those set out in EU Regulations (a) 883/2004 and (b) 987/2009.

Stephen Barclay: The Withdrawal Agreement provides that reciprocal healthcare should continue until the end of the Implementation Period (until 31 December 2020) and provides longer-term rights for people covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. The United Kingdom Government remains focused on securing a broader agreement with the European Union on reciprocal healthcare rights as part of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. It has made clear in the White Paper of July 2018, ‘The Future Relationship Between The United Kingdom and the European Union’, that it is seeking agreement on reciprocal healthcare cover for state pensioners retiring to the EU or the UK, continued participation in the European Health Insurance Card scheme and cooperation on planned medical treatment. On Friday 26 October, the Government introduced The Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill which will provide the Government with the powers that are needed to fund and effectively implement arrangements for UK nationals to obtain healthcare abroad after the UK exits the EU.

Dementia

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has a policy on earlier diagnosis of dementia.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government’s mandate to NHS England requires NHS England to deliver the actions set out in the Challenge on Dementia 2020 Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan envisages that: “In every part of the country people with dementia having equal access to diagnosis as for other conditions, with an expectation that the national average for an initial assessment should be 6 weeks following a referral from a GP (where clinically appropriate), and that no one should be waiting several months for an initial assessment of dementia.”

Autism

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the (a) West Midlands and (b) England who experience Pathological Demand Avoidance.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of people who experience pathological demand avoidance in the West Midlands or England.

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of medication errors made each year in the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 October 2018 to Question 174058.

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department has examined the (a) rate and (b) local effect on health of medication errors in each region of England and Wales.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS Digital currently collects data on select indicators for safer prescribing, with the first phase focused on admissions related to gastrointestinal bleeding and acute kidney injury. These indicators link hospital admission to prescription data, and identify the population at risk of harm at a national, regional, or clinical commissioning group level for each given indicator. Data may be used by local teams to alter prescribing practice to lower the risk associated with prescriptions where appropriate. Data are available publicly through the Medicine Safety Dashboard at the following link: https://apps.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/MOD/MedicationSafety/atlas.html

Endoscopy

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been made available to enable hospitals to increase their numbers of endoscopists to meet current and future demand.

Stephen Barclay: To address the increasing demand for endoscopy services, Health Education England (HEE) has worked with the Joint Advisory Committee on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy to develop a clinical endoscopist training programme. HEE is providing an employer support package of £15,000 per National Health Service trainee to trusts for the programme. This has been provided to cohorts starting in September and December 2018 and for April and October 2019. An initial evaluation shows trainees are helping to meet clinical demand, reduce waiting lists and contributing to a good patient experience.

Ambulance Services: Heart Diseases

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England new story, New ambulance service standards announced, published on 13 July 2017, how many heart attack and stroke patients have been seen within ambulance performance target times.

Stephen Barclay: Ambulance quality indicators, including response time performance and specific measures for stroke and heart attack patients, are published by NHS England at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

Medical Records

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued on which people are authorised to make notes on a patient's medical record.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that medically unqualified staff do not make additions to patients' medical notes.

Jackie Doyle-Price: In 2016, the Information Governance Alliance published the NHS Records Management Code of Practice which sets out what people working with, or in, National Health Service organisations in England need to do to manage records correctly. The Code of Practice is based on current legal requirements and professional best practice. It includes advice that each NHS organisation should have an overall policy statement on how it manages all its records, including electronic records. It is the responsibility of each NHS organisation to ensure that staff are assigned access to patient records based on their role in the organisation and that, where appropriate, they should document their actions and decisions in patients’ records.

General Practitioners

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the voluntary erasure code in cases where a GP is under investigation.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has made no assessment of the adequacy of the General Medical Council’s (GMC) voluntary erasure code in cases where a general practitioner (or any other doctor) is under investigation. The GMC is the independent regulator of doctors in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for considering and approving applications for voluntary erasure from the medical register.

Department for International Development

GAVI Alliance

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to attend the Gavi mid-term review meeting in Abu Dhabi in December 2018.

Alistair Burt: The UK is fully committed to supporting Gavi and saving children’s lives through increasing access to vaccines in lower income countries. Since 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise 690 million children, preventing more than 10 million deaths. We see Gavi’s Mid-Term Review meeting as a crucial opportunity to celebrate Gavi’s extraordinary work, whilst also critically assessing how it can make even further progress in improving access to lifesaving vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable people.Regretfully, diary pressures mean Ministers are unavailable to attend the meeting. However, senior officials from the Department for International Development will be attending and will ensure strong UK representation in these vital discussions.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department had allocated funding to the Oxfam-supported (a) water supply system and (b) cholera treatment centres in Yemen which were hit by Saudi coalition air strikes in (i) April and (ii) June 2018.

Alistair Burt: No. Oxfam were not funded by the UK for either project.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many facilities and projects in Yemen in receipt of funding from her Department have been hit by Saudi coalition air strikes since the start of the conflict in that country in 2015.

Alistair Burt: Since the Yemen conflict began in 2015, our partners have reported two incidents to us in which UK funded assets incurred damage as a result of the conflict.

Bridge: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the final report commissioned by her Department to assess the relative quality of education provided by Bridge.

Harriett Baldwin: The report “Learning in Lagos: Comparing student achievement in Bridge, Public and Private Schools” has now been completed and will be available on Devtracker by the end of the month. The “Developing Effective Private Education – Nigeria” (DEEPEN) programme supported improved learning outcomes for almost 1.5 million girls and boys in Lagos by providing technical assistance and supporting innovation for the private education market to improve the quality of education it provides to children, especially to poor children. This included some funding to Bridge International Academies. As part of the evaluation of this programme a report was produced to compare student achievement in Bridge, public and private schools.

Syria: Abduction

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the risk of kidnap for ransom to (a) aid workers and (b) other representatives of non-governmental organisations operating in Idlib province in Syria.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether funding allocated by her Department to non-governmental organisations operating in Idlib province in Syria has been used to make ransom payments to obtain the release of kidnapped aid workers in 2018.

Alistair Burt: Kidnapping for ransom poses a threat to the safety and security of aid workers and NGO staff operating throughout Syria, including in Idlib province. The UK continues to call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and humanitarian actors, so aid can reach those in desperate need, and those responding to the crisis can help the most vulnerable without fear of attack. Under a duty of care to their staff, humanitarian agencies should be conducting risk assessments and taking appropriate mitigating action to protect workers. The UK will continue to support any action to protect humanitarian actors throughout the country. The UK does not make ransom payments, on the basis that providing money or property fuels terrorist activity and encourages further kidnappings. Any payment to, or for the benefit of, a proscribed terrorist organisation is contrary to UN sanctions, and therefore illegal. DFID aid complies with UK and international counter terrorism legislation, and our funding agreements commit partners to understand and comply with international counter terrorism legislation. All partners undergo a stringent due diligence process and strict controls and procedures are in place to prevent diversion, to ensure that UK aid reaches its intended beneficiaries.

Department for Education

Children: Social Services

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his department will make an assessment of the potential merits of developing guidance on achieving permanence for (a) looked after children and young people and (b) people with special educational needs and disabilities; and whether such permanence is defined as a core purpose of children’s social care.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government recognises the importance of securing permanence for looked after children and young people. Planning for permanence is central to children and families social work.   The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 and the supporting statutory guidance set out clear expectations on planning for permanence to ensure that children have a secure, stable and loving family to support them through childhood and beyond and to give them a sense of security, continuity, commitment, identity and belonging. This includes those children identified as having special educational needs.

Children: Social Services

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing a national outcomes framework to benchmark all children’s services provision on (a) value, (b) quality, (c) cost and (c) outcomes.

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of local authorities’ ability to (a) identify (i) current and (ii) future demand for children’s services and (b) supply the services demanded.

Nadhim Zahawi: As set out in the Children Act 1989, local authorities are responsible for delivering children’s social care services. Ofsted is responsible for the Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS) and these inspections provide a robust assessment of the quality and outcomes of local services. The department publishes a range of statistics on activity rates, timeliness and costs of children’s services and these data are available to all local authorities to help benchmark their services. The department has no current plans to develop a national outcomes framework for children’s services.

Children: Social Services

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how his department defines good outcomes for (a) children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and (b) looked after children and young people; and if he will develop guidance on those outcomes for local authorities and providers.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government wants all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and looked after children, to achieve well in early years, at school, in further and higher education and be prepared for adulthood.  We have put in place a number of programmes to support improved outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including, from September 2014, introducing the largest reforms to the SEND system in a generation.  We assess outcomes for children and young people with SEND through external measures. For example, GSCE exam results (including attainment 8 and Progress 8 measures), the early years foundation stage profile; phonics screening check, key stage 1, key stage 2, numbers of tribunal cases (including the number decided in the appellant’s favour), and destinations data (the numbers going into further and higher education, and employment), absence and exclusions data. We have also started looking at longer-term outcomes for special educational needs (SEN) pupils. This has been possible through analysis of the longitudinal educational outcomes (LEO) dataset. This dataset, for the first time, brings together information about learners including: personal characteristics such as gender and ethnicity; education, including schools, colleges and higher education institution attended, courses taken and qualifications achieved; PAYE and self-assessed employment and income data from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs; and data on benefits claims from the Department of Work and Pensions. Initial analysis relating to longer term employment and benefit outcomes of SEN pupils was published in July 2018. This analysis was based on those who completed key stage 4 in academic years 2002/03 and 2003/04. The data can be accessed via: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-labour-market-outcomes-by-pupil-characteristics. The corporate parenting principles, which local authorities must have regard to, require them to secure the best possible outcomes for looked after children and young people. The principles include promoting high aspirations, their health, stability in their homes lives and preparing them for adulthood and independence. Statutory guidance on applying the corporate parenting principles is available via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/applying-corporate-parenting-principles-to-looked-after-children-and-care-leavers. Data on the outcomes of looked after children and care leavers is available in the statistical first release on ‘Children looked after in England including adoption’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017) and on ‘Outcomes for children looked after by local authorities’ in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2017).

Pre-school Education: Finance

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of ending the supplementary funding to maintained nursery schools in 2019-20  on the ability of those schools to support children with SEND needs.

Nadhim Zahawi: Maintained nursery schools (MNS) make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children, including those with special needs and disability (SEND). Many of them also provide specialist SEND support to other providers.In recognition of the costs that MNS experience over and above other providers, we are providing supplementary funding – additional to funding received under the Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) – of around £60 million a year. This will enable local authorities to protect MNS pre-EYNFF funding levels until at least 2019-20.In deciding what should happen after 2019-20, we want to ensure that decisions about the future of MNS are based on evidence. Therefore, we have commissioned new research on the value offered by MNS, which will be published over the winter.

Higher Education: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the end of means-tested grants in 2016 on the number of people applying to go to university.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Students starting full-time courses in the 2016/17 academic year on the lowest incomes benefited from an additional 10.3% of upfront living costs support when compared to the previous academic year.In 2017, 20.4% of 18 year olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds (measured using POLAR, a measure of educational disadvantage) entered higher education, which is the highest proportion on record and an increase of 0.9% from 2016 – please see UCAS ‘End of Cycle Report 2017’ for this statistic, found at: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/ucas-undergraduate-releases/ucas-undergraduate-analysis-reports/2017-end-cycle-report.A full equality analysis of changes to HE student finance for 2016/17, including the replacement of maintenance grants by loans, was published on GOV.UK in November 2015 and can be viewed at the following link: Higher Education Student Finance Equality Analysis.

Autism: Respite Care

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) parents and (b) guardians of children who are high on the spectrum of autism who have accessed respite care in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department does not collect specific information on the numbers of parents/guardians who access respite care. However, The Children and Families Act (2014) provides a framework to ensure that children with autism are identified early and receive the support they need. A disabled child would fall under the category of a child in need and parents, guardians or professionals could make a referral to the local authority children’s services who are best placed to assess the needs and priorities of disabled children in their area.Information regarding how much local authorities have planned to spend on their short breaks/respite provision through the authorities’ annual section 251 returns can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-local-authority-school-finance-data.Giving children and young people with autism the right start in life is hugely important in ensuring that they can have successful and rewarding lives. We want all children, no matter what their special educational need or disability, to be able to reach their full potential and receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. That is why we have put in place significant reforms, aimed at making the system less confrontational and promoting better involvement of parents and a real focus on outcomes and transition to adult life.

Nurseries: Breakfast Clubs

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether nurseries receive funding for breakfast clubs as part of the same funding arrangements as (a) infant, (b) junior and (c) secondary schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education are investing up to £26 million in a breakfast club programme, using funds from Soft Drinks Industry Levy revenues. The funding is for setting up or improving breakfast clubs in primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units. Such schools that have a nursery may receive funding for a breakfast club.

Ministry of Justice

Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department plans to respond to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal’s consultation on changes to its procedural rules.

Lucy Frazer: This consultation closed on 8 October. As the legal profession in England and Wales is independent of government, the department did not respond. We understand that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal is currently reviewing consultation responses.

Legal Aid Scheme: Slavery

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 185051 on Legal Aid Scheme: Slavery, whether the specific legal aid provision for victims of modern slavery and human trafficking for immigration advice and representation, including assistance with applications for leave to enter or remain, subject to means and merits, applies to applications for (a) permanent residence, (b) pre-settled status and (c) settled status; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 12 November 2018



There is specific legal aid provision for victims of modern slavery and human trafficking for immigration advice and representation, including assistance with applications for leave to enter or remain, subject to means and merits testing. This provision will apply to applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme. For those EU citizens who might need additional help when applying under the scheme, the Home Office has announced a grant scheme for the voluntary and community sector which will help ensure support is available. The Secretary of State for Justice has no plans to make a statement on this issue.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing Market

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what research his Department has commissioned on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on housing demand.

James Brokenshire: The Department is working to ensure continued delivery of our housing objectives as we leave the EU. This includes engaging with a range of stakeholders in the housing industry, as well as continuing to monitor the housing market closely, to understand the impact on housing demand.

Public Sector: Land

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the (a) project specification of the work and (b) any completed outputs arising from the commissioning of an analysis of public sector build out land from RSM UK Consulting.

James Brokenshire: The project specification of the work undertaken by RSM UK consulting to carry out analysis on the build out of public sector land sites can be found in the ‘Statement of Requirements’ at Annex B on the Governments Contracts Finder website:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/fd08f2a9-03aa-4fb3-a9ff-f9164759bfde?p=@UFQxUlRRPT0=NjJNT08.Key findings will be incorporated in the next Public Land for Housing Programme Progress Report.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the (a) project specification of the work and (b) any completed outputs arising from the commissioning of an analysis arising from the commissioning of research into non-ACM cladding materials from the Building Research Establishment.

James Brokenshire: Information about the requirements for this project are available on the Government contracts finder web site. The Government will consider how to publish outputs from the work when they are available.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new recruits have been offered a place in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in each year since 2010.

Mark Lancaster: Information on the intake of new recruits into the Regular Armed Forces since 31 March 2014, including a breakdown by Service, can be found at Excel Table 5A of the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, which can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2018.Intake information prior to 31 March 2014 can be found at Excel Table 5A of the UK Armed Forces Monthly Service Personnel Statistics, which can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-monthly-service-personnel-statistics-2017

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his news release of 5 November Armed Forces to step up Commonwealth recruitment, whether the lifting of the five-year residency in the UK requirement for applicants who wish to serve in the armed forces will apply also to citizens of UK Overseas Territories.

Mark Lancaster: British Overseas Territories Citizens (BOTC) have never been subject to the five year UK residency criteria which has been removed for citizens of Commonwealth member countries. BOTC have one of six types of British nationality which already makes them eligible to apply to join the British Armed Forces, and they serve as part of the British cohort. As at 1 April 2018 there were 130 BOTC serving in the Regular trained strength of the British Armed Forces.However, for security reasons the Armed Forces continue to have UK residency criteria to ensure the appropriate security standards which all applicants are required to meet. This will vary depending on the Service and role being applied for and applications are considered on a case by case basis.Notes:· Nationality is as reported on the Joint Personnel Administration system· Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Emergencies: Climate Change

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that it is ready to respond to potential emergency events caused by climate change.

Mark Lancaster: Civil authorities and emergency services provide the first response to crises, emergencies and/or major incidents within the UK. Other Government Departments or civil authorities request military assistance when they require additional or niche capabilities. The Ministry of Defence engages closely with other Government Departments to ensure that Defence is prepared to provide appropriate, timely and effective military support at the local, regional and national level to potential emergency events such as extreme weather.The policy and doctrine for military aid to civil authorities can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2015-to-2020-government-policy-military-aid-to-the-civil-authorities-for-activities-in-the-uk/2015-to-2020-government-policy-military-aid-to-the-civil-authorities-for-activities-in-the-ukPrevious support includes flood mitigation during the Thames Valley flood in 2013-14; flood relief efforts across the north of England following Storms Desmond and Eva in December 2015/January 2016 and more recently, the period of extreme cold and snow in February/March 2018.

Emergencies: Climate Change

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure UK defence readiness is not compromised by incidents related to climate change.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has previously provided, and continues to provide, civil authorities with military support across the UK under military aid to civil authorities (MACA). Defence maintains a cadre of military personnel and capabilities which can be used in the wider Government response to emergencies including, but not limited to, those related to climate change.The MOD ensures that Defence personnel are suitably trained and equipped to respond to a wide variety of potential incidents. This includes incidents in the UK but also Defence support to Humanitarian and Disaster Relief activities globally. Defence planning staffs are well-versed, trained and practised in the principles of planning to ensure Defence can continue to meet its specific strategic objectives.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to make British Overseas Territories citizens exempt from the five year residency requirement to join the UK armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: British Overseas Territory Citizens (BOTC) have never been subject to the five year UK residency criteria which has been removed for citizens of Commonwealth member countries. BOTC have one of six types of British nationality which already makes them eligible to apply to join the British Armed Forces, and they serve as part of the British cohort. As at 1 April 2018 there were 130 BOTC serving in the trained strength of the British Armed Forces.However, for security reasons the Armed Forces continue to have UK residency criteria to ensure the appropriate security standards which all applicants are required to meet. This will vary depending on the Service and role being applied for but applications are considered on a case by case basis.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants attempting to make a claim for universal credit have not completed the process due to a failure to agree terms on a Claimant Commitment.

Alok Sharma: The table attached shows the number of Universal Credit Full Service claims that have been closed prior to payment, because of a failure to sign a Claimant Commitment.A Claimant Commitment sets out all the work-related requirements a claimant must meet to receive Universal Credit. If a claim is closed on these grounds, a claimant can appeal if they disagree with the decision.



Claimant Commitment Information
(PDF Document, 86.63 KB)

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims have been closed in each of the last 12 months for which data is available; and what the reasons were for the closure of those claims.

Alok Sharma: The table attached shows the number of claims closed and reason for closure for both new claims prior to payment and claims that were in payment.



UC Claim Closure Reasons
(PDF Document, 195.54 KB)

Social Security Benefits: Blaenau Gwent

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of (a) personal independence payment and (b) employment and support allowance in Blaenau Gwent constituency were successful in appeals in relation to their entitlement in (i) 2017-18 and (ii) since April 2018.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals - In the Blaenau Gwent constituency, (i) 130 claimants were successful in appeals in 2017-18 and (ii) 30 claimants were successful in appeals between April and June 2018, the latest date for which statistics have been published. These figures include all PIP appeals; so they will contain appeals where claimants appealed for a higher PIP award as well as those appeals against a disallowance decision. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this appeal data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics. The Parliamentary Constituency geography relates to the origin of the claim (i.e. derived from claimant’s postcode) rather than the location of where the tribunal was. Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at Tribunal). Since PIP was introduced, 3.5m decisions have been made nationally up to June 2018. Of these, 9% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned.  Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) appeals - Information on appeal outcome by claim start date and Parliamentary Constituency isavailable on Stat-Xplore under “ESA Work Capability Assessments”.https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.htmlBetween April 2014 and March 2018, 3.5m ESA (post WCA) decisions have been made nationally, of these 8% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned.

Access to Work Programme

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Her Department's Access to Work Statistics, published on 30 October 2018, how many people who applied for Access to Work provision who were rejected because of the Access to Work cap in each month for which information is available; and how many of those people were classified as deaf.

Sarah Newton: Access to Work awards are capped at £57,200.00 this year. If a customer’s application for support is likely to be affected by this upper limit, their application is not rejected. An Access to Work adviser will work with the customer and their employer in order to ensure that appropriate support can still be offered. For example, Access to Work may offer such customers a managed personal budget to enable more flexibility of support.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Origin Marking

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to seek mutual recognition of geographical indicators with the EU.

David Rutley: The Government recognises the economic and cultural importance of UK geographical indications (GIs). The protection of UK GIs in the EU and EU GIs in the UK is subject to ongoing negotiations, and we are working as quickly as possible to come to a solution. However, we anticipate that all current UK GIs will continue to be protected by the EU’s GI schemes after we leave the EU. We will use the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 to ensure GI schemes for wines, aromatised wines, spirit drinks, agricultural products and foodstuffs are in place once the UK is no longer bound by EU law. This will provide UK protection for UK GIs when we leave the EU and ensure that the UK fulfils its obligations under World Trade Organisation Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights rules.

Home Office

Immigrants: Personal Records

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 181538 on Immigrants: Personal Records, how many times his Department has apologised for providing people with incorrect records of their immigration status in the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Immigrants: Personal Records

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 181534 on Immigrants: Personal Records, in what location were immigration status records stored before the roll out of INDECS in 1980.

Caroline Nokes: We do not hold a list of the pre-1980 legacy storage locations for Home Office documents before these were transferred to more recent repositories.

Immigrants: Personal Records

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 181534 on Immigrants: Personal Records, how many immigration status records were lost in the roll-out of (a) Case Information Database, (b) Access UK and (c) ATLAS.

Caroline Nokes: Further to the previous answer to Question 181534 which was as follows; CID was delivered through a phased rollout that was initiated with Asylum cases and was then subsequently rolled out to cater for settlement, enforcement and nationality case working processes as well as assisting Borders. CID has been the source immigration case working system for UKVI since 1998, over this time however the department has digitised application routes through a web-based service called Access UK and are in the process of replacing CID functionality with a new product named ATLAS. Please note that paper files are used alongside these systems to aid case working processes.The Home Office treats information management and data security with upmost sensitivity. Whilst there have been no systematic loss of immigration status records in the roll-outs of the aforementioned systems, as with the migration of any large data mass, occasional discrepancies may occur. Where any cases are identified or raised as having incorrect or incomplete records, these are treated as an absolute priority.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Buildings

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has plans to close his Department's office at 1 Caspian Point, Cardiff.

Nigel Adams: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales plans to relocate its Cardiff Office from Caspian Point, Cardiff Bay to the new UK Government Hub in the centre of Cardiff. This relocation is currently planned for late 2020.

Northern Ireland Office

Cancer: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Department of Health in Northern Ireland (DHNI)’s press release entitled Department Announces Improved Access to New Drugs, published on 12 September 2018, what discussions she has had with the DHNI on the timeline for providing access to medicines approved for use through the Cancer Drug Fund in England; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: This is a devolved issue. Northern Ireland Office officials have been liaising with the Northern Ireland Department of Health on this important issue and I am pleased to hear that work is ongoing to ensure an appropriate process is in place which will provide clinical consultants, and hence patients, access as soon as possible.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether her Department has had discussions with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on MOT exemptions for owners of classic cars.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I can confirm that Northern Ireland Office officials have been in contact with their counterparts in the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) regarding this issue.

Northern Ireland Office: Energy

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost was of (a) electricity and (b) natural gas used by her Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Northern Ireland Office has been charged the following for (a) electricity and (b) natural gas in each of the last three years: (a) electricity 2017/18 - £ 88,6422016/17 - £ 51,1332015/16 - £ 69,032 (b) natural gas 2017/18 - £ 9,0292016/17 - £ 6,2652015/16 - £ 11,178

Northern Ireland Office: Billing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of contracts issued by her Department and contractors include provisions to impose, as between parties to the subcontract, that any payment due from the contractor to a subcontractor under the contract is to be made no later than the end of a period of 30 days from the date on which the relevant invoice is regarded as valid and undisputed, as required by the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Northern Ireland Office includes, as standard, a payment clause in all contracts involving subcontractors, requiring payment to be made to contractors within 30 days and that these terms apply to any subcontractors they may have.

Treasury

City Deals: Belfast

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral contribution of 29 October 2018, Official Report, column 664, Financial Statement, which aspects of the Belfast Region City Deal will require a functioning Northern Ireland Executive for their implementation; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The government will work with local partners to ensure that robust governance, accountability and transparency arrangements will be in place to allow funding for the Belfast City Region Deal to be spent in the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive.

Women and Equalities

Females: Equality

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans she has to meet with civil society groups on measuring progress on Sustainable Development Goal five for the voluntary national review in 2019.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what consultations her Department has had with local authorities on the planned indicators to measure progress on Sustainable Development Goal five for the voluntary national review in 2019.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 16 October 2018 to written questions 176113, 176114 and 176115.

Equality Act 2010

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what representations she has received on how section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 could be implemented; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: We have received a number of representations regarding section 106, as we have for other uncommenced provisions from the Equality Act 2010, and we continue to keep these provisions under review. Equality is never a one-time fix and it is right that we should keep re-examining the issues.This Parliament is the most gender and LGBT diverse ever, but there is still more to do. Political parties are responsible for their candidate selection and should lead the way in improving women’s representation. Many are already doing so.The Government’s Suffrage Centenary Fund is supporting a number of projects that aim to increase women’s participation in politics, and earlier this year we announced funding for disabled candidates to meet the costs of campaigning, primarily for the forthcoming English local elections in 2019.